UPDATE 12:37 pm: It’s official according to CSN Bay Area, the Warriors have confirmed that Jerry West has joined the organization, with the title of “executive board member.” Consultant is still the best term to understand the role.

West can be a strong and persuasive voice, but he also is deft at the politics of the game. He will not step on Larry Riley’s toes and will stand in line with the company publicly. But he is about as straight a shooter as there is out there and there will be no doubt in the organization what West is thinking.

This is a great hire for Golden State.

8:01 am: Jerry West, the legendary Laker general manager from the Showtime era who also spent time in Memphis, is now going to be consulting with the Golden State Warriors.

West’s exact title has not yet been formalized, but he is expected to be reporting to co-owners Joe Lacob and Peter Guber and possibly act as a sounding board in many areas.

The addition of an icon like West is another aggressive and surprising move by Lacob, who brought in agent Bob Myers last month as his GM-apparent.

He’ll be a consultant, basically. Larry Riley is the GM and Meyers will get the gig in a few years.

But it’s a wise move by the owner to have another voice in his ear, especially one with a good eye for talent. (Remember West got Kobe Bryant out of high school, put good role players around Magic and Kareem, and when in Memphis made sure they got Marc Gasol in a deal everyone thought was bad at the time but turned out to be decent.)

Joe Lacob has shown to be hands on as an owner on the basketball side. That can be worrisome. But if he is bringing in smart people around him like West and listening to them, he’ll be fine.

I don’t remember playing tonight. I didn’t play. Guys get a lot of money to be ready to play. No Knute Rockne speeches. It’s your job. If you’re a plumber and you don’t do your job, you don’t get any work. I don’t think a plumber needs a pep talk. If a doctor botches operations, he’s not a doctor anymore. If you’re a basketball player, you come ready. It’s called maturity. It’s your job.

Like it or not, motivation is part of an NBA coach’s job.

But that’s also precisely what Popovich is doing.

His credentials dwarf any other coach’s. He can play to his own ego and absolve himself of responsibility – and players will seek to please him. His years of success have earned him the ability to motivate this way, a method no other coach could use without alienating his team.

So, why not hold Motiejunas to what became a four-year, $31 million offer sheet once matched? Houston got something in return – a later trigger date on guaranteeing Motiejunas’ 2017-18 salary. Originally, that decision had to be made March 1 – which would’ve meant dropping Motiejunas from the team this season to prevent his salary from counting next season. Now, the Rockets can make that call in July, after this season is complete.

The following two Julys, Houston will also have a choice on guaranteeing Motiejunas’ upcoming salary or dropping him.

Essentially, Motiejunas is signing the most lucrative Hinkie Special in NBA history. If he plays well and stays healthy, the Rockets have Motiejunas at an affordable rate. If he struggles or his back injuries flare up, they can drop him with little to no penalty.

After they backed themselves into this corner, Motiejunas and his agent, B.J. Armstrong, didn’t do so bad. Considering the similarity between this contract and the Nets’ original offer sheet, it seems Houston helped Armstrong save face after a bungled free agency (which is easier to accept when you’re adding a talented reserve to a formidable team).

But for how little is guaranteed and how much control the Rockets hold over the next four years, wouldn’t Motiejunas have been better off accepting the $4,433,683 qualifying offer?

This means Motiejunas can’t sign with the Nets, who signed him to the original offer sheet, for one year.

I bet it also means Motiejunas and Houston have agreed to a new contract. Otherwise, why release him from the offer sheet? The Rockets would be giving up a tremendous amount of leverage out of the goodness of their hearts – unless this is just a prelude to a new deal with Houston.